German Art Censorship

German art censorship can take many forms. The SS ripped apart John Heartfield’s apartment, destroying his art against The Third Reich when they smashed in the door of his apartment on Easter Sunday, April 14th, 1933.But there can be more subtle methods which are be just as deplorable.Trump censored a journalist from CNN television network because he didn’t care for CNN’s coverage of his actions. An art institution can decide the political art with which they are entrusted is some type of valuable possession, rather than the powerful message an artist risked his life to convey.Political art censorship can also be as simple as removing the swastikas from John Heartfield montages in an attempt to rewrite history (see Anthony Howard’s London Diary Article).Art censorship in all its forms must be opposed.

An Excerpt From A 1969 Article On West German Censorship of John Heartfield’s Art